Guys Day Off
by christibabe
Summary: A couple of the RangeMan guys have the day off. This is what happens when they see something they weren't meant to see. Ranger and Stephanie make an appearance, so they are listed, but this is more about the two men on their day off.


**Disclaimer:** J.E.'s characters are hers. I'm just borrowing them. This story is in response to a challenge issued. I've combined the two writing prompts, and this is what I came up with. Thank you to JenRar for your help as beta, and to Dreemseeker for your valuable insight.

Spoilers: Possibly from any of the books.

It was the end of **September,** and the day was exceptionally **hot** and **muggy**. I'd checked the rotation earlier in the week and was pleased to see that I'd been scheduled for a rare day off at the same time that Hal would be off.

We'd made plans to play some touch **football** with a boys' group, where we both volunteered our time whenever we could.

My alarm went off at eight a.m., and since we'd be getting in a workout with the boys during the game, Hal and I had decided to skip our regular routine of working out in the gym.

I dressed for the day in a pair of faded, **torn jeans** and an old **jersey shirt**. Stopping in the kitchen, I bagged up the snacks I'd purchased to share with the boys. Knowing some of these children wouldn't be getting another meal that day, Hal and I had decided to bypass the **candy, soda, **and **chips**, and instead, we'd asked Ella to bake some of her famous cookies to add with the healthy trail mix she'd put together.

There was a knock, and I moved through the apartment to open the door, knowing Hal would be on the other side. I grinned at him and said, "Come on in. I sure am glad there won't be any **rain** today, just **blue **skies and **sun shine.**"

Hal chuckled. "Remember the last game, when it poured down right in the middle? Then we got a call and had to go check out the **break in **at Hidleman's Jewelers."

I nodded. "I remember that." I handed Hal a couple of the bags filled with goodies and took the others myself. "Do you have plans for after the game?"

He shrugged. "Not really. What'd you have in mind, Binkie?"

I grinned. "I have two tickets to the Nationals and Red Sox game later today. Would you like to go with?"

His eyes widened, and I saw the sparkle that lit his gaze. Hal was as much of a Red Sox fan as I was.

"I'd love to take in the game."

I gave a nod. "Okay. Once we get done with the kids, we'll head for DC, where they'll be playing today."

With that, we headed out the door. I paused long enough to make sure the apartment door was locked, and we were on our way.

Thirty minutes later, we were pulling into the West Side Youth Center, located in the neighboring town of Cherry Hill. Before Hal had a chance to turn off the engine, we were surrounded by a large group of boys, ages eight to seventeen. Opening our doors, we climbed out and unloaded the snacks and fresh orange drink that Ella had made for the boys to go along with the snacks.

Not waiting for an invitation, the boys devoured the food and gulped down the refreshing drink as well.

Hal and I took care of the items that needed immediate attention for fixing, and once that was done, we got ready for the fun part of the trip: choosing sides for our football game.

The rules were simple. Everyone got the chance to play, no matter how good or bad they might be, and no one made fun of any of the others. There was good-natured teasing only. It was a lot of fun showing these boys how to be a good sport and to try your best, no matter the odds. I think both Hal and I got as much out of our time spent here as the boys did. As we did after every game where we'd both been there to take part, we arranged for pizza to be delivered.

We ate with the boys, and that was their time to bring up problems they might be having. That was when we'd help them to think up possible solutions to try. We didn't tell the boys what they_ should_ do. Instead, we helped them to look at all the information and come up with possible answers that they could try.

When it was time for us to leave, the boys were as reluctant to let us go as we were to leave. We said our goodbyes and headed for Washington DC.

The closer we got to Nationals Park, the worse traffic got. Hal pulled into the parking lot, and I was happy to see we had plenty of time to spare. We made our way inside the park, and since it was now closing onto dinnertime and the pizza we'd had for lunch had long left our bodies, I suggested, "Shall we go to the **concession stand **and grab a bite to eat before heading to our seats?"

Hal nodded. "Sounds good to me."

We moved through the crowd till we located one of the spots that sold beer. As we stood waiting in line, the woman ahead of us put in her order, asking, "Would it be possible to get three or four big **pickles**?"

The young man working the window shuddered. "I'm sure I can work something out." He turned away and put four huge pickles from one of the jars into a basket before handing it through the window to her. "Here you go, ma'am. Anything else I can get you?"

She scanned the condiments, and suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Oh! Could I have a small container to put some **hot sauce** in, please?"

It was all I could do not to shudder as I thought of the combination she was going to be putting in her stomach. Who in the world ever heard of eating picklesand hot sauce?

I could see Hal's shoulders silently shaking. I looked over at him as he softly said, "That's worse than peanut butter and olives."

I nodded my agreement.

Our turn came, and we ordered enough to get us through the first few innings of the game. It didn't take long for us to make our way into the stands and find our seats. We had a choice location. I was looking forward to seeing the mascots come out and run around during the fourth inning.

Sure enough, the Red Sox had just gotten their third strike when the mascots raced from the stands onto the field. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as the guy in the Teddy Roosevelt getup lost his footing and went sprawling into the other three, taking them all down.

Hal let out a deep belly laugh too, but then he got eerily quiet and leaned forward, his eyes squinted on the characters on the field. Wondering what had caught his attention, I turned back to the field and tried to see what he was looking at.

Just then, the heads of the presidents came off, and my eyes opened in disbelief. I turned to Hal, and his eyes were so wide, they were nearly bugged out of their sockets. He was shaking his head, then turned and looked my way before saying, "I don't know about you, but I didn't see a thing. Hell, I wasn't even here today."

I nodded my head. "I can live with that. Beats finding ourselves in some third world country with nothing but a toothpick."

We both turned once more, our gazes going to that spot on the field, where several bodies were now trying to untangle themselves and get up. Ranger was on the ground in what was left of Lincoln's costume, his head clearly visible for all to see. On top of him in a compromising position was what was left of the Teddy Roosevelt costume, the head missing, and instead, Stephanie Plum's head was clearly visible in the Roosevelt costume. One half of a pair of handcuffs was on her wrist, and the other half was on the wrist of the guy in the George Washington costume. Miss Plum's free hand was pressing on a delicate part of Ranger's anatomy as she tried to get leverage in order to get up off him.

Hal and I spotted a man selling Red Sox caps, and we each bought one, making sure the bill of the hat covered our faces. This way, we could deny ever being here if we ever found ourselves in the unenviable position of having someone give us the third degree.


End file.
